Cigarette locking hinge for cigarette cases



June 2 8, 1949. Y F. AVERNA 2,474,714

' CIGARETTE LOCKING HINGE EoR CIGARETTE cAsEs Filed July 2, 1946 Patented June 28, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE LOCKING HINGE FOR CIGARETTE CASES 1 Claim. 1

My present invention relates to an improved cigarette locking hinge for cigarette cases of the type especially adaptable for use with cigarette cases of the hinged cover type and currently manufactured of plastic material.

According to my invention, the cover for the case is so mounted and hinged on the case eccentrically of the hinge pin, that the hinge when the cover is closed will press gently upon the upper ends of the cigarettes maintaining them in orderly fashion within the case even though the case does not contain a maximum number of cigarettes.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention according to the best mode I have thus far devised but it will be understood that various changes and alterations may be made in the exemplified structure within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the cigarette case of my invention with the cover open and showing the hinge spaced from the upper edges of the cigarettes.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof at line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view at line 3 3 :of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail View of the hinge construction.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts I have illustrated the cigarette case embodying my invention as having a container portion including a wall 2 with end portions 4 and 6, and a rounded enlarged front portion 8. The opposite side or rear edge of the wall 2 is open to receive the cover I formed with an opening l2 therein, and positioned angularly or obliquely of the cover.

A snap button or ball I4 is secured to the spring arm I6 in the enlarged edge portion 8, and the spring arm is attached thereto by means of the plunger I8. The ball I4 is engaged by the angularly disposed wall of the opening I2 and is frictionally secured therein but releasable therefrom as pressure on the cover will force the ball to ride on the wall and thus flex the spring arm.

Cigarettes indicated as at are laid in the container which is of suflicient length to accommodate a supply of cigarettes, and the cover l0 is provided with a cylindrical hinge 22 having a pin 24 journaled in the end portions 4 and 6.

and this pin passes through the cylindrical hinge eccentrically thereof so that when the cover is open as seen in Figure 2 the hinge will be spaced from the cigarettes 20 While as seen in Figure 4 when the cover is closed, the hinge will bear or press gently against the upper ends of the cigarettes to maintain them in aligned and orderly i position within the container.

This pressure will be insufciently to deform the cigarettes but will prevent them from moving around within the case when the case is less than full.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A case for cigarettes comprising a substantially shallow rectangular container having a bottom7 front wall, end walls, an open top and an open rear wall, a hinge pin journalled in the end Walls of the container adjacent said open rear wall, a substantially cylindrical hinge bar closing said open rear wall and eccentrically mounted on said pin to provide a cam surface at one longitudinal edge thereof, a at cover for the container fixed to said bar, and said cover adapted to close the open top of said container, the cover being mounted on the bar so that when in open position the cam surface of the bar will be disengaged from cigarettes placed in the case parallel to said end walls and extending from said front wall to said hinge bar and the hinge bar being of a size so that the cam surface thereof will engage the ends of the cigarettes to hold them in place when the cover is closed, said pin lying in a plane parallel to said cover and extending medially thru said bar and on a line nearer the outer surface than the inner surface of the case when the cover is closed.

FRANK AVERNA.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

